Gems

The Hope Diamond was cut from Louis XIV’s “French Blue."

How a Smithsonian Curator Discovered the Hope Diamond’s Many Secrets

The storied past of the 45.52-carat sapphire-blue gemstone hails back to the days before the French Revolution

Pink diamonds form when the gems' crystalline structure gets bent under intense pressure.

Geologists Unravel the Mysteries of Australia's Rare Pink Diamonds

The dazzling, blush-colored gems likely emerged from Earth's mantle some 1.3 billion years ago, when a supercontinent named Nuna broke up, study suggests

Aspen Brown unearthed the golden-brown diamond while visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park with her family.

Girl Celebrating 7th Birthday Finds 2.95-Carat Diamond

Aspen Brown stumbled upon the pea-sized, golden-brown gem while visiting an Arkansas park

An employee of the Historical Circle Kesteren at a dig in the Dutch village of Ommeren, where researchers hoped to find treasure German soldiers buried during World War II

What Happened to the Treasure Nazis Buried in This Dutch Village?

The Dutch National Archives released a map supposedly leading to the trove of jewelry, coins and precious stones in January

Two of the gemstones discovered at a Roman bathhouse in Carlisle, England

Archaeologists Find 2,000-Year-Old Gemstones in Drain Beneath a Roman Bathhouse

The stones, known as intaglios, likely fell from the rings of wealthy bathers

Pieces of Forrest Fenn's treasure

You Can Own a Piece of Forrest Fenn's Treasure

The valuable artifacts, hidden in the Rocky Mountains for more than a decade, are going up for auction

Adam Hardin's 2.38-carat brown diamond "Frankenstone" is the size of a pinto bean.

Treasure Hunter Unearths 2.38-Carat 'Frankenstone' Diamond

Adam Hardin discovered the impressive brown gem at an Arkansas state park

Votive offering found at the Sikait site

Did Ancient Nomads Seize Control of a Roman Emerald Mine in Egypt?

Recent excavations suggest the Blemmyes assumed power of the Sikait mining site between the fourth and sixth centuries C.E.

The 55-faceted gemstone is believed to be the largest cut black diamond in the world.

A Huge Black Diamond, Purportedly From Outer Space, Is Now Up for Sale

The gem known as the 'Enigma' is expected to fetch around $7 million at auction, though experts are skeptical of its cosmic origin

The ring could date back to as early as the third century C.E.

Ancient Amethyst Ring Found in Israel May Have Been Worn to Ward Off Hangovers

Found near a Byzantine-era winery, the jewelry likely belonged to a wealthy, high-status individual

Though the intaglio dates to the days of Roman Britain (43 to 410 A.D.), the silver seal that holds it was likely made in the 13th or 14th century.

Silver Medieval Seal Featuring Engraved Roman Gem Unearthed in England

The rare artifact depicts war god Mars and Victoria, the mythological personification of victory

Zircons are the oldest minerals in the world and come in colors like the rich blue above. Researchers have now used these gemstones to identify when modern plate tectonics began.

Earth's Oldest Minerals Hold Clues About the Likely Start of Plate Tectonics

New research reveals how one of Earth’s defining geologic features likely formed—and set the stage for the emergence of life

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How the World's Largest Aquamarine Gem Came to Be

The Dom Pedro Aquamarine is one of the largest mineral crystals found inside Earth's rocks

Smithsonian gemologist Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) meets her colleague, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) in Wonder Woman 1984, which was filmed at three Smithsonian museums.

How 'Wonder Woman 1984' Was Filmed at the Smithsonian

The blockbuster saw the superhero working as a museum anthropologist. But how accurate was its depiction of the Institution at the time?

Kamala Harris wears her signature pearls as she accepts the vice-presidential nomination at the August 2020 virtual Democratic National Convention broadcast from Wilmington, Deleware.

Why Kamala Harris' Pearls Have a Special Significance

The vice president-elect's ties to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, run deep, and her jewelry lets that shine

The original photos from late 1800s by famous snowflake photographer Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley, are stored in the Smithsonian Archives. His pictures were instrumental in helping scientists examine snow’s crystalline properties.

Why Scientists Find Snowflakes Cool

Mineralogists study snowflakes to learn more about how water in its solid phase behaves

A poem providing clues to the location of a treasure chest filled with gold and jewels inspired thousands to search the Rocky Mountains.

Decade-Long Search for Rocky Mountain Treasure Yields Trove Worth $2 Million

Nine clues embedded in a 24-line poem led to art dealer Forrest Fenn's hidden chest of gold, gems and rare artifacts

Opalised fossils from Lightning Ridge, N.S.W, Australia. From the collection of the Australian Opal Center. Clockwise from top left: freshwater snail; plesiosaur tooth; crocodile tooth; pine cone; pelvis bone of ornithopod dinosaur. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by (respectively) Down to Earth Opals, Timothy Seekamp, Stephen Turner and Michael Poben.

Scientists and Miners Team Up to Preserve Opalized Fossils

An ambitious collaboration between paleontologists and a local mining community seeks to conserve the rare fossilized remains

The study's authors outline three possible scenarios for the unusual fossil's formation

This 100-Million-Year-Old Squid Relative Was Entrapped in Amber

The ancient ammonite was preserved alongside the remains of at least 40 other marine and terrestrial creatures

The 8.5-millimeter millipede had five-unit compound eyes and an unusually hairless rear end

This Petite, 99-Million-Year-Old Millipede Was Entrapped in Amber

The diminutive arthropod represents not only a previously unknown species, but an entirely separate Callipodida suborder

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